■ 74 
L67 P6 
lopy 1 



LEXINGTON 




®he BIRTHPLACE of 
AMERICAN LIBERTY 



I 




HAVES MEMORIAL 



■OUNTAIN 
LEX! 



AND STATUE Ol- CA1 
•CGTON COMMON. 



AIX IOHN l'ARKER, 



LEXINGTON 



BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 



A HANDBOOK 

CONTAINING 
AX ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON — PAUL REVERE'S 
NARRATIVE OF HIS FAMOUS RIDE- A SKETCH OF THE TOWN 
AND THE PLACES OF HISTORIC INTEREST — INSCRIP- 
TIONS ON ALL HISTORIC TABLETS — DIRECTORY 
- MAP AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS 



By FRED S. PIPE] 



Copyright 1902 by Irving P. F">x. 



LEXINGTON PUBLISHING CO. 
LEXINGTON 

1902 



0«N«RCM. 



THE OLD MONUMENT ON THE COMMON. 



Sacred to the Liberty and the Rights of Mankind!!! 

To the Freedom and Independence of America, 

Sealed and Defended with the Blood of her Sons. 

This Monument is erected 

By the inhabitants of Lexington, 

under the patronage and at the expense of 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 

To the Memory of their Fellow Citizens, 

Ensign Robert Munroe and Messrs. Jonas Parker, 

Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington, Jr., 
Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington and John Brown 

of Lexington, and Asahel Porter of Worurn, 

Who fell on this Field, the First Victims to the 

Sword of British Tyranny and Oppression, 

on the morning of the ever memorable 

Nineteenth of April, An. Dom. 1775, 

The Die was Cast ! ! ! 

The Blood of these Martyrs 

In the cause of God and their Country 

was the Cement of the Union of these States, then 

Colonies, and gave the spring to the Spirit, Firmness 

and Resolution of their Fellow Citizens. 

They rose as one Man to revenge their Brethren's 

Blood, and at the Point of the Sword, to Assert and 

_,„.,,„ . DfjiivNp.tHEm native Rights. 

' Vi *'°c* f I THEY j*©BRY DAR'D TO BE FREE ! ! 

THE CONTEST* VAS *LONG, BLOODY AND AFFECTING. 
... .RlGH,TJ50U,S, Heaxei^ approved the solemn appeal, 
Vk >ORY> CLOWNED THEIR ARMS; AND 

The Peace, Lirerty*'and Independence of the United 
States of America was their Glorious Reward. 



BUILT IN THE YEAR t7<»9. 



^ 




Mt'NROK TAVERN. 



T WAS in the gray dawn of that April 
morning 1775 — "A glorious morning for 
America " — when the royal troops reached 
Lexington Common. 

They had heard the drum beat of the 
minute men, and advanced on " double- 
quick" with loaded muskets. 

About seventy minute men, brave de- 
fenders of their rights, had assembled to 
meet six hundred trained soldiers. "Too 
few to resist, too brave to fly," they did the 
best they could, and after years of conflict here begun, American 
liberty was born The colonists had long contended against British 




oppression. 



James Otis resigned his office as the King's 



advocate 




STONE CANNON. 



and defended the rights of Bos- 
tonians, — the first step in the revo- 
lution. The stamp act had been 
passed and repealed. Patrick 
Henry had spoken out boldly in 
Virginia. 

The first Continental Congress 
met September 5, 1774. The Pro- 
vincial Congress assembled one 
month later, assumed the govern- 
ment of the colony, except in 
Boston where the British troops 
were stationed, took measures to 
organize militia companies and to prepare for resistance by force if 
necessary. Executive power was placed in the hands of the Com- 
mittee of Safety, prominent members of which were Dr. Joseph 
Warren and John Hancock. 

A close watch was kept over the movements of the British 
soldiers. The King had entrusted the government of Massachusetts 
to Gen. Gage, the commander of the British army in America. He 
was a man of weak character, and his petty and injudicious acts 
aggravated the inhabitants. 

Large quantities of military supplies had been collected at Salem 
and Concord. Gage's attempt to take the stores at Salem, Feb. 26, 
1775, resulted in a ridiculous failure. In March it was reported that 
he intended to capture or destroy the stores at Concord, which, from 
this time on, were carefully guarded. 

The Provincial Congress, which had been in session in Concord 
adjourned April 15. 

The Committee of Safety adjourned at Concord April 17, and 
Samuel Adams and John Hancock, arch traitors in the estimation of 
the Royal government, then became the guests of Rev. Jonas Clarke, 
pastor at Lexington. Gen. Gage kept his plans secret, and it is inter- 
esting to conjecture the part played by his wife who was the daughter 
of a New Jersey patriot. 

Gordon, who was chaplain of the Provincial Congress, says in 



his " History of the Independence of the United States " : "A daugh- 
ter of liberty sent word by a trusty hand to Mr. Samuel Adams, 
residing in company with Mr. Hancock about thirteen miles from 
Charlestown, that the troops were coming out in a few days — ." 
Several historical writers seem to confirm the belief that this " Daugh- 
ter of Liberty" was the wife of Gen. Gage, and that she gave Dr. 
Warren valuable information, which was sent by the " trusty hand" ol 
Paul Revere, and William Dawes as well, tu Adams and Hancock at 
Lexington. 

Relative to what followed, what can be more interesting or 
authentic than Paul Revere's own written narrative?; 



The Saturday night preceding the iqth of April, about twelve o'clock at night, 
the boats belonging to the transports were all launched, and carried under the sterns 
of the men-of-war. (They had been previously hauled up and repaired) . We likewise 
found that the grenadiers and light infantry were all taken oft duty. 

From these movements, we expected something serious was to be transacted. 
On Tuesday evening, the iSth, it was observed that a number of soldiers were march- 
ing towards the bottom of the Common. About ten o'clock, Dr. Warren sent in great 
haste for me, and begged that 1 would immediately set oft for Lexington, where 
Messrs. Hancock and Adams were, and acquaint them of the movement, and that it 
was thought they were the objects. When I got to Dr. Warren's house. 1 found he 
had sent an express by land to Lexington, -a Mr. William Dawes. The Sunday 
before, by desire of Dr. Warren, I had been to Lexington, to Messrs. Hancock and 
Adams, who were at the Rev. Mr. Clark's. I returned at night 
through Charlestown; there I agreed with a Colonel Conant 
and some other gentlemen, that if the British went out by 
water, we would show two lanthorns in the North Church 
steeple ; and if by land, one as a signal ; for we were apprehen- 
sive it would be difficult to cross the Charles River, or get 
over Boston Neck. I left Dr. Warren, called upon a friend, 
and desired him to make the signals. I then went home, took 
my boots and surtout, went to the north part of the town, 
where I kept a boat; two friends rowed me across Charles 
River a little to the eastward where the Somerset man-of- 
war lay. It was then young flood, the ship was winding, and 
the moon was rising. 

They landed me on the Charlestown side. When I got 
into town, I met Colonel Conant and several others ; they said 
they had seen our signals. I told them what was acting, and 
went to get me a horse; I got a horse of Deacon Larkin 
While the horse was preparing, Richard Devens, Esq.,' who 




SILHOUETTE OF 
REV. JONAS C'LARKI 




was one of the Committee of Safety came to 
me. and told me that he came down the road 
from Lexington, after sundown, that evening; 
that he met ten British officers, all well 
mounted and armed, going up the road. 

I set off upon a very good horse; it 
was then about eleven o"clock. and very pleas- 
ant. After I had passed Charlestown Neck, 
and got nearly opposite where Mark was hung 
in chains, I saw two men on horseback under a 
tree. When I got near them, I discovered they 
were British officers. One tried to get ahead of 
me, and the other to take me. I turned my 
horse very quick, and galloped towards Charles- 
town Neck, and then pushed for the Medford 
road. The one who chased me, endeavoring 
to cut me off, got into a clay pond, near where 
the new tavern is now built. I got clear of 
him, and went through Medford, over th e 
bridge, and up to Menotomy. In Medford, I 
awaked the Captain of the Minute Men ; and 
after that, I alarmed almost every house, till I 
got to Lexington. 

I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at 
the Rev. Mr. Clark's; I told them my errand, 
and enquired for Mr. Dawes; they said he had not been there: I related the 
story of the two officers, and supposed that he must have been stopped, as he ought 
to have been there before me. After I had been there about half an hour, Mr. Dawes 
came ; we refreshed ourselves, and set off for Concord, to secure the stores, etc.. there. 
We were overtaken by a young Dr. Prescott, whom we found to be a high Son of 
Liberty. I told them of the ten officers that Mr. Devens met, and that it was prob- 
able we might be stopped before we got to Concord; for I supposed that after night, 
they divided themselves, and that two of them had fixed themselves in such passages 
as were most likely to stop any intelligence going to Concord. I likewise mentioned 
that we had better alarm all the inhabitants till we got to Concord ; the young Doctor 
much approved of it. and said he would stop with either of us, for the people between 
that and Concord knew him, and would give the more credit to what we said. We 
had got nearly half way ; Mr. Dawes and the Doctor stopped to alarm the people of a 
house; 1 was about one hundred rods ahead, when I saw two men, in nearly the same 
situation as those officers were, near Charlestown. I called for the Doctor and Mr. 
Dawes to come up ; in an instant I was surrounded by four ; — they had placed them- 
selves in a straight road, that inclined each way; they had taken down a pair of bars 
on the north side of the road, and two of them were under a tree in the pasture. The 
Doctor being foremost, he came up; and we tried to get past them: but they being 
armed with pistols and swords, they forced us into the pasture: the Doctor jumped 



BY STUART. 



his horse over a low stone wall, and got to Concord. I observed a wood at a small 

distance, and made for that. When I got there, out started six officers, on horseback, 

and ordered me to dismount ; — one of them, who appeared to have the command, 

examined me. where I came from, and what my name was? I told him. He asked 

me if 1 was an express? I answered in the affirmative. He demanded what time I 

left Boston? I told him; and added, that their troops had catched aground in 

passing the river, and that there would be five hundred Americans there in a short 

time, for 1 had alarmed the country all the way up. He immediately rode towards 

those who stopped us, when all five of them came down upon a full gallop; one of 

them, whom I afterwards found to be a Major Mitchel. of the 5th Regiment, clapped 

his pistol to my head, called me by name, and told me he was going to ask me some 

questions, and if I did not give him true answers he would blow my brains out. He 

then asked me similar questions to those above. He then ordered me to mount my 

horse, after searching me for arms. He then ordered them to advance and to lead 

me in front. When we got to the road, they turned down toward Lexington. When 

we had got about one mile, the Major rode up to the officer that was leading me and 

told him to give me to the Sergeant. As soon as he took me, the Major ordered him, 

if 1 attempted to run, or anybody insulted them, to blow my brains out. We rode till 

we got near Lexington meeting-house, when the militia fired a volley of guns, which 

appeared to alarm them very much. The major inquired of me how far it was to 

Cambridge, and if there were any other road. 

After some consultation, the Major rode up to the 

Sergeant, and asked if his horse was tired. He 

answered him he was— he was a Sergeant of 

Grenadiers, and had a small horse — then, said 

he. take that man's horse. I dismounted and the 

Sergeant mounted my horse, when they all rode 

toward Lexington meeting-house. I went across 

the burying-ground, and some pastures, and came 

to the Rev. Mr. Clark's house, where I found 

Messrs. Hancock and Adams. 1 told them of my 

treatment, and they concluded to go from that 

house towards Woburn. I went with them, and 

a Mr. Lowell, who was a clerk to Mr. Hancock. 

When we got to the house where they intended to 

stop, Mr. Lowell and myself returned to Mr. 

Clark's to find what was going on. When we got 

there, an elderly man came in ; lie said he had just 

come from the tavern, that a man had come from 

Boston, who said there were no British troops 

coming. Mr. Lowell and myself went towards the 

tavern, when we met a man on a full gallop, who 

told us the troops were coming up the rocks. We 

afterwards met another, who said they were close portrai 

by. Mr. Lowell asked me to go to the tavern witli mat. williai 




him, to get a trunk of papers belonging 
to Mr. Hancock. We went up cham- 
ber, and while we were getting the 
trunk, we saw the British very near, 
upon a full march. We hurried ti >\vards 
Mr Clark's house. In our way, we 
passed through the militia. There 
were about fifty. When we had got 
about one hundred yards from the 
meeting-house, the British troops ap- 
peared on botli sides of the meeting- 
house. In their front was an officer on 
horseback. They made a short halt; 
when I saw and heard a gun fired, which 
appeared to be a pistol. Then I could 
distinguish two guns, and then a con- 
tinual roar of musketry; when we 
made off with the trunk. 




Capt. Parker commanded tomb-stone of capt. park* 

his company not to tire unless 

fired upon. The British approached on both sides of the meeting 
house following the lead of Maj. Pitcairn, who ordered the Minute Men 
to disperse. As they did not disperse he repeated the order with added 
emphasis, and fired his pistol at them. Both sides claimed that the 
other fired first but it seems conclusive that the first shot came from 
the British, who fired two volleys, the second with fatal effect. The 
Minute Men returned a few shots from the position they had taken, 
and dispersed, continuing the fire as best they could from their places 
of retreat. 

After about half an hour's delay the British proceeded to Concord, 
where they were so warmly received that they soon began their retreat 
over the same route. They were attacked by the gathering army of 
patriots from all sides. The British officers tried to restore order 
among their soldiers and check the retreat but in vain, till they met 
Earl Percy with reinforcements half a mile beyond Lexington Com- 
mon toward Boston. Here, under the protection of two field pieces 
and the reinforcements, the British had their first rest after sixteen 
hours steady marching. They remained in this vicinity about two 
hours, pillaging and burning buildings, killing cattle, etc. After 



caring for the wounded at Munroe Tavern, eating and drinking all that 
they could get, they killed the bar tender, set fire to the house and re- 
sumed their retreat. Fortunately the fire was discovered and extin- 
guished before much damage had been done. 

Seven Lexington men (and one Woburn man) were killed, and 9 
wounded on and near the Common in the morning, and 3 were killed 
and 1 wounded in the afternoon. Thus Lexington lost more men 
during the day than any other town. Danvers being second with a 
loss of 7 killed. 3 wounded, and 1 missing. The total losses for the 
day were, Provincials, 49 killed, 36 wounded and 5 missing; British, 
73 killed, 174 wounded and 26 missing. Such, in brief, were the 
events that ushered in the Dawn of Liberty in Lexington. 



It was twenty years, after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth and 
five years after Peter Bulkley settled at Concord when Robert Her- 
larkenden built the first house in Cambridge Farms. Cambridge, 
about this time, comprised a large tract of land extending from the 
Charles along the Shawshine to the Merrimac River. 

The first settlement was near Vine Brook. Most of the meadows 
and some of the uplands were found free from wood and brush, 
probably having been burned by the Indians. Before permanently 
settled, Cambridge people used these lands as an additional source of 
hay. Prominent among the early inhabitants who settled here are 
the names Munroe, Tidd, Bowman, Bridge, Reid. Wellington and 
Merriam. Cambridge Farms remained the north precinct of Cam- 
bridge till 1691 when it was incorporated as a separate parish. 

Benjamin Estabrook was the first minister of the town at a salary 
°f -£-4° a year. A meeting house was built on the southeast corner of 
the Common where the marble tablet now stands. Mr. Estabrook 
died July 22, 1697, and on the 7th of November, 1697. John Hancock 
of Cambridge was chosen a candidate to preach till the following May. 
He was publicly ordained Nov. 2, 1698, and continued his ministry 
here for fifty-five years. 




A portion of this house was built about 1692 by the town as a residence for 
the first minister, Rev. Henjamin Estabrook. 



The town was incorporated as Lexington March 31, 1713, taking 
its name probably from Lord Lexington, a British statesman of prom- 
inence at this time. Town officers were immediately chosen and the 
following month the selectmen voted to '-erect a payer of stocks" as 
required by law. Just where the stocks was built is uncertain but 
probably, according to common custom, near the meeting house. 

This same year a new meeting house was built near the old one. 
It was 50 ft. by 40 ft. and 28 ft. high. The first school house was 
erected in 17 15 on the Common where the granite monument now 
stands. 

The town early became noted for its military spirit and took an 
active part in the French and Indian Wars. The staunch character 




and determination of the men composing 
the militia was finally displayed in the 
battle on the Common, April 19, 1775, 
when Capt. John Parker and 70 men faced 
<>oo trained soldiers of Britain. Lexing- 
ton men participated in 17 different cam- 
paigns during the Revolution. 

The population of the town was not 
above 800 in 1775. In the Civil War the 
town furnished more than her full quota. 

In 1875 the town celebrated the cen- 
tennial anniversary of the battle in a 
grand fashion. Business in Boston and 
throughout this part of the State was 
generally suspended, and from an early 
hour people poured into Lexington by 
every possible 



ix. johx hancock. conveyance. 

The streets 
were soon so crowded that carriages could 
not approach within a mile of the center. 
Careful estimates placed the number of 
visitors at 100.000. The day was ushered 
in by a salute of 100 guns at sunrise. 
The weather was fair but very cold for 
the season, and the experiences at dinner 
in the big tent on the Common and at the 
ball in the evening were not of pure delight. 
Among the guests of honor were 
President U. S. Grant and his cabinet. 
One of the most interesting ceremonies 
of the day was the unveiling of the stat- 
ues of Adams and Hancock, cut from 
Carrara marble. The statue of Adams 
was made in Rome by Martin Milmore. 
a Boston artist. The statue of Hancock 




WIFE OF REV. 




was made in Florence by Thomas R. Gould, also a Boston artist. 
The contracts stipulated that the statues should be delivered in Lex- 
ington on or before January i, 1875 : but with intense anxiety their 
arrival was witnessed by the light of a bright moon Saturday, April 17. 

Another important presentation to the town at this time was 
Pitcairn's pistols, by Mrs. John P. Putnam of Cambridge, N. Y. On 
the retreat of the British on the afternoon of April 19, 1775. a skir- 
mish took place near Fiske's Hill in which Maj. Pitcairn was wounded 
and fell from his horse. These pistols with the horse and accoutre- 
ments were captured by the Provincials, and later sold at auction in 
Concord. The holsters and pistols were purchased by Nathan Barrett 
who presented them to General Putnam, from whom they descended 
to his grandson, the husband (deceased) of the present donor. 

At one time quite a lot of manufacturing was done in Lexington, 
but to-day it is chiefly a residential suburb. There are many good 




STATUE OK 
AMUEL ADAMS 
TAR'S' LIBRARY, 



farms, devoted to the pro- 
d notion of milk and 
gardening. In 1875 Wor- 
cester was the only place 
in the State that produced 
more milk than Lexington. 
The soil is rugged and 
much diversified. For 
the most part it is produc- 
tive and contains many 
rich peat meadows. The 
town is noted for its 
healthfulness and high 
elevation, being about io 
miles from the coast and 
230 feet above sea level. 
A steam railroad was 
built from Lexington to 
Boston in 1846, and in 
1900 — 1901 electric street 




STATUE OK 

JOHN HANCOCK 

IN CARY LIBRARY. 



railroads were built to Arlington. Bedford, Waverly. Concord, Wal- 
tham and Woburn. The population of the town and valuation by 50 
year periods has been as follows: — 1650, population 30, valuation 
unknown; 1700, population 350, valuation unknown; 1750, population 
761, valuation unknown : 1S00, population 1006, valuation $251,052.00 ; 
1X50, population 1S88. valuation $1,869,453.00: 1900, population 3831, 
valuation $5,182,060.00. 




BOULDER MARKING LINE OF BATTLE 

BOULDER. 

The words of Capt. Parker are found in a letter by his grand- 
son, Theodore Parker, to George Bancroft, as a tradition in the Parker 
family. It was confirmed by Col. Wm. Munroe, the orderly sergeant 
of Capt. Parker's company. 

The estimated weight of this boulder is fifteen tons. 

LEXINGTON COMMON. 

A committee was chosen at a public meeting in 1707 to treat with 
" Nibour Muzzy" about the purchase of a piece of land lying north of 
the meeting house. Four years later negotiations were completed 
and in consideration of £16 " Nibour Muzzy" deeded to the inhabit- 
ants of Cambridge Farms a certain parcel of land estimated to contain 
one and one-half acres. In 1722, the town enlarged the Common by 
the purchase of an additional acre at a cost of ,£25. This was the 
origin of Lexington Common, the birthplace of American liberty 



BUCKMAN TAVERN. 

There are at least ten houses standing in Lexington to-day that 
antedate the Revolution. 

The oldest house in town was over a century old at the time of 
the battle, having been built about 1641) by Nathaniel Bowman. 

Of the twelve taverns once doing active business in Lexington, 
the oldest was built in 1690 by Benjamin Muzzey, and now known 
as Buckman Tavern. It stands on Bedford street beside the old 
battle ground, and although the tablet giving brief historical data has 
been recently removed it may be easily recognized. 

It contained the first store in town and in it the first post office 
was opened in 181 2. The business of this house was said to be more 
with "carriage folks" than with teamsters. It contained nine fire- 
places and is architecturally the finest of the old houses in town. 




SUCKMAN TAVERN. 



John Buckman, a member of Capt. Parker's company, was the 
landlord in 1775, and here the minute men assembled on the morning 
of the battle. 

Two wounded British soldiers were brought here on the afternoon 
of the conflict, one of whom died and was buried in the old cemetery. 
The house is in good condition to-day, and proudly retains the scars 
made by British bullets during the only official visit ever paid to 
Lexington by His Majesty's soldiers. 

MONUMENT. 

On the west side of the old Common stands the granite monument, 
erected in 1799, in memory of the men killed in the Battle of Lexing- 



ton and the cause for which they fought and died 
first monument of the Revolution. 

The bodies of the slain were origi- 
nally buried in a common grave in the 
old cemetery, but in 1835 the remains 
were taken up, placed in a lead covered 
casket, this encased in a mahogany 
sarcophagus and deposited in a tomb 
that had been constructed in front 
of the foundation of this monument. 
Edward Everett was the orator of the 
occasion. The inscription on this 
monument was written by Rev. Jonas 
Clarke, the minister of the town from 
1755 to 1S05. 

Here beside this old monument 
Lafayette was welcomed to Lexington 
Sept. 2, 1825, and here Kossuth was 
received by the town May n, 1852. 

A copy of the inscription will be 
found on the page facing the title page 
of this book. In recent years it has 
become a custom on Memorial Day to 
decorate it with wreaths and Mowers. 



It is probably the 




MONUMENT. 



BELFRY. 

At a Town Meeting held June 15, 
1761, '"Mr. Isaac Stone came into said 
meeting and gave the Town a Bell to 
be for the Town's use forever — which 
Bell was there, and weighed Four 
Hundred and Sixty Three ponnds — 
for which the Moderator in the name 
of the Town returned him thanks. 

li Then voted, To hang ye Bell on 
ye top of y e Hill upon ye south side 
of Lieut. James Munroe's house.'' 

The committee for building this 
'•Bell free" rendered their account 
the following year, which shows the 
cost to have been ,£2i-i2S-ioj£d. 

In 1768, it was removed to the 
south side of the common near the 
present site of the old monument. 
'• Here it remained for thirty years 
the old belfry. . summoning the people to worship, 

warning them at nine at night to rake 
up the tires and go to bed and tolling for them when, one after another, 
they passed away." From tin's belfry the alarm was rung on the 
morning of April 19, 1773, calling the Minute Men to the common. 
It was purchased by a son of Capt. Parker in 1707, and removed to 
the Parker place in the south part of the town where it was used for 
a wheelwright's shop. There it remained till 1891, when it was pre- 
sented to the Lexington Historical Society and removed to Belfry 
Hill near the spot where it was built. The bell long ago disappeared, 
but the tongue is treasured by the town as a valuable relic of the 
past and may be seen in Cary Library. 

LofC. 





MARRETT MUNROE HOUSE. 

On the opposite side of the avenue from the Soldiers' Monument, 
stands the house of Marrett and Nathan Munroe, built 17:9. 



HANCOCK CLARKE HOUSE. 

Next after the battleground, this old parsonage is the most 
interesting and important place, historically, in Lexington. 

It stands on Hancock street, about five minutes walk from the 
Common. The one-story, gambrel roofed ell was the original house 
built by Rev. John Hancock in 169S. It contained a good sized living 
room and the parson's study down stairs, and two small, low cham- 
bers. Rev. John Hancock married Elizabeth Clark of Chelmsford, 
and to them three sons and two daughters were born and reared to 
maturity in this small dwelling. The frame is oak, hewed by hand, and 
shows little signs of decay. 



In 1754 Thomas Hancock, the second son of Rev. John Hancock, 

at this time a prosperous Boston merchant, built the main portion of 

the house for his parents. The wainscotting in this part of the house 

is particularly handsome. In all, there are eight rooms and a fireplace 

in each, except one chamber. The outer walls of the main part of the 

house contain a layer of bricks extending from the sills to the eaves. 

Here Rev. John Hancock lived from 1698 till his death in 1752. 

In 1755 Rev. Jonas Clarke, who married a granddaughter of Mr. 

Hancock, became pastor of Lexington and the occupant of this house. 

John Hancock, the governor and signer of the Declaration, spent 

much time in his boyhood at this old home of his grandparents, and 

here he was visiting in company with Samuel Adams when Paul 

Revere made his famous ride. 

Here, also, at this time was the beautiful Dorothy Quincy, John 
Hancock's fiancee, to whom he was married the following August. 

Solomon Brown of Lexington had been to market at Boston 
April iS, and on his return late in the afternoon informed Sergt. 
Munroe that he had seen nine British officers passing up the road. 

Munroe, suspecting that their 
intention was to capture Adams 
and Hancock, placed a guard 
of well-armed men about this 
old house. Some time after 
Paul Revere delivered his mes- 
sage of warning, Adams and 
Hancock, for their greater 
safety, were conducted to the 
old parsonage in Burlington and 
later to Mr. Amos Wyman's 
house in Billerica. Hancock 
sent a letter back to Dorothy 
Quincy. requesting her to follow 
him and bring the fine salmon 
that had been sent to them for 
their dinner, which she accord- 
ingly did. At the time of the 




battle it was all open country between 
Mr. Clarke's house and the battle ground, 
and the firing was plainly seen from the 
chambers. 

The house originally stood on the 
opposite side of the street from its present 
location. With the aid of patriotic men 
and women in various parts of the country, 
Lexington Historical Society purchased 
the house, removed it to its present po- 
sition in 1896, and restored it as far as 
possible to its original condition. It 
contains the valuable and interesting col- 
lection of the Historical Society. It is 
kept open to the public throughout the 
year, and in igoi was visited by not less 
than fourteen thousand people, represent- 
almost every state in the union, as well as 
many foreign countries. Admission is 
free. On Sundays it open only in the 
afternoon. 



w 

*"iH= 



■NTRY— -MCNROE TAX 



this house, X< 



MUNROE TAVERN. 

About one-third the distance from the Center to the East Village 
on Massachusetts Avenue, stands Munroe Tavern, built in 1695 by 
William Munroe. When Earl Percy reached Lexington with rein- 
forcements on the afternoon of April 19, i77S> he made this old 
hostelry his headquarters, and here his wounded soldiers were 
treated in the front room at the left of the entrance. The front 
room at the right was the bar room, and in the ceiling is a bullet hole 
made by the discharge of a British musket. Here Washington-was-' 
entertained at dinner in 1789, and the armchair in which he sat is still 
to be seen. Some time soon after 1 770 an ell, now removed, was built 
on the northwest side of the house containing a hall about 60 x 20 feet, 
in which balls and parties were held, and it was here that Hiram 
Lodge of Free Masons was instituted Dec. 12, 1797. 




THE HARRINGTON HOUSE. 

On one corner of Elm avenue and Bedford street, about ten rods 
back of the line of the Minute Men in the battle, is to be seen the 
home of Jonathan Harrington, who, wounded by a British bullet, 
dragged himself to the door and there died at his wife's feet. 



OLD NORMAL SCHOOL. 

On the opposite corner from the Harrington house stands a 
building erected in 1822 for the Lexington Academy, which was 
discontinued about ten years later. 

In 1839 the building was given to the State and there the first 
Normal School in America was opened under the direction of Rev. 
Cyrus Pierce. 



THEODORE PARKER. 

Theodore Parker was born on the old homestead in the south 
part of Lexington known as " Kite End." 

Here his grandfather, Capt. John Parker, had lived, and from this 
place he was summoned by the alarm bell to command his company 
April 19, 1775. 

Theodore Parker was one of the most notable men Lexington has 
produced. He was born Aug. 24. 1810, in the old house whose former 
location is now marked by the granite monument placed there by his 
devoted parishioners. The house in which he was born was 
destroyed sometime previous to 1850. He was a remarkable scholar, 
a liberal thinker, a lover of nature and 
his fellow creatures. He died in Flor- 
ence. May 10, iS(>o, and was buried 
in the Protestant cemetery there. 



THE OLD BURYING^GROUND. 

A short distance off Massachu- 
setts Avenue near the junction of Elm 
Avenue and in the rear of the Uni- 
tarian Church is the old burying 
ground. It is a pleasant plot with 
outlook across broad meadows to 
rising hills in the distance. 

So far as known, it contains the 
oldest graves in town : there are two 
or three stones bearing the date of 
1690, and probably older unmarked 
graves. Here the bodies of the Lex- 
ington men, killed in the battle, were 
originally buried in one grave. Here 
a British soldier who died in Buck- 
man's Tavern was buried. It contains 
the graves of the first three ministers 
of the town — Estabrook, Hancock 




[EODORE PARKER. 
(At age of 42.) 




OLD BURYING GROUND, HANCOCK-CLARKE TOM B IN CENTRE. 



and Clarke. In 1884 the town erected a substantial granite monument 
over the grave of Capt. John Parker. A marble obelisk marks the 
grave of Gov. Win. Eustice. governor of Massachusetts 1S23-1825 and 
a member of Capt. Parker's company. 

The Hancock tomb contains the remains of Rev. and Mrs. John 
Hancock, Rev. Ebenezer Hancock, Rev. and Mrs. Jonas Clarke, Mrs. 
Mary Clarke Ware, — wife of Rev. Henry Ware, D. D., — and three 
other children of Mr. Clarke. The tomb was sealed in 1843, when the 
last daughter of Mr. Clarke was buried there. 




fea?te^aFM^ ; :S!$3$£3 



THE OLDEST GRAVESTONE IN THE OLLl GRAVEYARD. 



RELICS. 

Lexington possesses many interesting and valuable relics of past 
centuries, among which are the following: 

In Tin-: Town Hall is a fine oil painting 8x 12 feet of the 
Battle of Lexington by Henry Sandham, owned by the Lexington 
Historical Society. On the frame are these inscriptions — 

"too few to resist, too brave to fly." 

"THE DAWN OF LIBERTY" 

APRIL 19 — LEXINGTON — I 775. 

(This picture is reproduced on the cover of this book.) 



Cakv Library 

contains fine marble statues of Samuel Adams and John Hancock, a 
marble bust of Theodore Parker, Pitcairn's pistols — the first wea- 
pons used against the Colonists on Lexington Common, — the tongue 
of the bell that sounded the alarm April 19, 1775, besides many valu- 
able portraits and framed documents of historical value. 

Hancock-Clarke House 

is the chief repository of the town and contains nearly the whole 
collection of the Historical Society, numbering nearly one thousand 
articles. Prominent in this collection are portraits of Rev. and Mrs. 
John Hancock, painted by Smibert, silhouette — life size, — of Rev. 
Jonas Clarke, set of Doolittle's engravings of the battle of Lexington 
and Concord, sword of Robert Newman who hung the lanterns in 
the North Church 'steeple for Paul Revere, pocketbook of Joshua 
Bentley who rowed Revere across the Charles River on the night of 
April iS, 1775, cannon balls fired by Earl Percy's troops April 19, 
1775, muskets and swords used by Minute Men, silk vest and gold 
ring once worn by Gov. John Hancock, ink well and sermon case 
of Theodore Parker, lantern formerly used by Paul Revere, piece 
of the drum that beat the alarm for the Minute Men to assemble, etc. 




TONGUE OF THE OLD CHURCH BELL 

rich, on the morning of April 19th. 1775, sounded the Alarm 
summoning the Citnens of Lenngton to rally and 




GUIDE TO PLACES OF INTEREST. 



Visitors will find it to their advantage to see tile various places in 

the following order, starting at the •■ Minute Nan" and 

going north on the west side of the Common. 

Fountain- and Minute Man. 
Lexington Common. 

3. Meeting House Tablet on the Common. 

4. House of Marrett and Nathan Munroe. 

Massachusetts Ave., beside the Common. 

Monument on the Common. 
"Ye Old Burying Ground." 

Massachusetts Ave., in rear of First Church. 

7. First Church, Elm Avenue. 

5. Normal School Building. 

Elm Ave., marked A. O. U. W., where the first Normal School in America 
was held. 



Hancock-Clarke House. 

Hancock Street. In this old house Hancock and Adams were sleeping 
when arroused by Paul Revere. It contains the valuable collection 
belonging to Lexington Historical Society. Open to the public. 

Fiske House. 

The home of Surgeon Fiske who cared for the wounded provincial sol- 
diers at this house April ig, 1775. 

Returning along the east side of the Common. 

Buckman Tavern. 

Bedford St., beside the Common. 

Old Belfry. 

Belfry Hill off Clarke St., to the right near Hancock School. 

Cary Library. 

Massachusetts Ave . open from 1 to S p.m. 
Town Hall. 
Stone Cannon. 

Massachusetts Ave., on High School Grounds. 

Stone Tablet. 

Massachusetts Ave., near Bloomfield Street. 

M in roe Tavern. 

Massachusetts Ave., about three quarters of a mile from the Common. 

Sanderson House near Munroe Tavern. 

A wounded British soldier was left here. 

House of Jonathan Harringti 
of the Battle of Lexington, 

Massachusetts Ave.. East Lexington. 

Tablet corner of Pleasant St., and M. 

ave.. East Lexington. 
Birthplace of Theodore Parker. 

About two miles south of the Common. 

Tablets on Concord Road. 



the last Survivor 



achcsetts 




pitcairn's pistols in cary 



INSCRIPTIONS ON ALL THE HISTORIC TABLETS 
IN THE TOWN OF LEXINGTON. 



ON THE BOULDER. 



LINE OF THE MINUTE MEN 

APRIL 19 1775 

STAND YOUR GROUND DON'T FIRE UNLES! 
FIRED UPON BUT IF THEY MEAN TO I1A\ I A \\ A] 
LET IT BEGIN HERE 

— Captain Parker 



ON THE STONE PULPIT ON THE COMMON. 



Site of the First Three Meeting 
Houses in Lexington 

I Built 1692 when the Town was a Par 1st 

of Cambridge. 
II. Built 1713 on the incorporation oi 
Lexington. 
III. Built 1794. Burned 1846. This spot i 
thus identified with the Town': 
History for 150 years. 



PASTORATES 


Ben 1 AM IN Estabrook 


1692-1697 


John Hancock 


169S-1752 


Jonas 1 larke 


• i755- lSo 5 


Ayery \\ ili.iams 


. 1S07-1S15 


Charles Briggs . 


IS19-1S35 


William C. Swett 


1S36-1S39 


Jason \\ hitman . 


1S45-1S46 



TABLETS ON HOUSES FACING THE COMMON. 





HOUSE BUILT 1690 




KNOWN 


AS THE 




BUCKMAN 


Tavern 


A 


R E N D E Z V ( 


US OF THE 




MlNUTF 


Men 


A 


MARK FOR BRITISH BULLETS 




APRIL 


q 1775 



Hoi 


si: of 




Jonathan 


Harrington 


Will 1 Wi (UNDED 


ON THE < 


i iM Mi i\ 


APRIL 19 1775 




DRAGGED HI 


MSELF TO Mil 


DOOR AND 


DIED AT 


HIS 


W 1 F E 


S FEET 





II 


)USE OF 


Marrett 


and Nathan 


M 


UNROE 


B U I 


LT 1729 


A WITNESS 


OF Till-: BATTLE 



BIRTHPLACE OF 

Deliverance Munroe 

DAUGHTER OF 

Marrett and Deliverance Munroe 

AND WIFE OF 

Ensign John Winship 

THIS TABLET PLACED BY DELIVERANCE MUNROE 

CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF REVOLUTION 

MA LI 1 EN I9OO 



TABLETS ON HANCOCK STREET. 



BUILT l6gS ENLARGED 1734 

RESIDENCE OK 

Rev. John Hancock 55 years 

AND OF HIS SU< ( ESSOR 

Rev. Jonas Clarke 50 years 

here Samuel Adams and John Hancock 

were sleeping when aroused by 

Paul Revere april ig 1775 







B U I L 


T 


1732 












HOUSE 


OF 










Dr. 


Joseph F 


S K 






WHO 


ATTENDED THE 


V. 


UNDE1 


) APR 


L iq 


1775 


AN 


) SERVED 


IN THE 


C 


(NTINENTAI 


Army 




\s SURGEON THR( 


)U( 


;hout 


THE 


WAR 





STONE TABLETS ON THE CONCORD ROAD. 





A T 


I Ills WELL APR) 


L ig 


1/75 


J 


A M E S 


Hay w a r d 


OF 


ACTO N 


MET 


A BR1 1 1 


SH SOLDIER WH( 


RAI 


5ING Ills GUN 




SA 


D YOU ARE \ DEAD .MAN 




AND SO 


ARE YOU REPLIED 11 


1YWARD 


BO 1 M FIRED THE SOI BIER 


WAS 


INsI AN 1 1 \ 




KILLED VND HAYWAR1 


MOR I ALLY 






WOUNDED 







This Bluff was used as a Rallying 
Point by the British 

arril 19 1775 

after a sharp fight they retreated to 

I'iski: Hill from which they were 

driven in great confusion 



STONE CANNON ON THE GROUNDS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. 









NEAR 


1 Ills SPO 1 














EARL 


P E R C Y 










Willi 


R FEN FOR (KM EN IS I' LAN 


TED 


A 




EI EI 


DP 


E( 


e ro COVE 

1! K 1 T 1 S 
APR] 


< the retri 
11 Troops 

■ tg 1775 


Al ( 


F 


THE 



WOBURN STREET. 



HOUSE OF 

Benjamin Merriam 

ONE OF THE MlNUTE MEN WHOSE FAM1] 
ON THE APPKOAt H OF THE BRITIS 
WHO PILLAGED THE HOUSE 
APRIL ig 1775 



MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. 



On the Hill to the South was Planted 

One of the British Fieldpieces 

April ig 1775 

TO < OMMAND THE VILLAGE 

AND ITS APPROACHES AND NEAR THIS PLACE 

SEVERAL BUILDINGS WERE BURNED 



MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. 



EAST LEXINGTON. 



Earl Percy's 
Headquarters and Hospital 

APRIL ig 1775 

THE MUNROE TAVERN 

BUILT 16Q5 







HOME OF 








Jonathan 


Harrington 








THE LAST 






Survi\ 


OR OF 


THE 


Battle 


of Lexington 


BORN 


JULY 8 


I75S 


DIED 


MARCH 27 


1S54 



I COPY DEL. IUWT 
APR. 25 1902 




LIBRARY OF CONGRES 



11 



014 077 548 4 



